How The InformationWeek 500 Are Chosen

Now in its 24th year, the InformationWeek 500 recognizes business technology teams that have made a notable improvement to how their companies operate. The InformationWeek 500 is open to U.S. companies with revenue of $250 million or more (or subsidiaries with $250 million or more in revenue). This year, we made a few exceptions to allow companies just below that revenue that are highly IT-intensive.

To be considered for the IW 500, companies complete a rigorous application on their business technology strategies. The ranking process is quantitative and qualitative, whereby applicants earn points based a questionnaire and based on the achievements they outline in an essay submission. Applications are evaluated by a panel of InformationWeek editors. The survey data is aggregated across all InformationWeek 500 companies and by industry; individual responses are kept confidential and individual company data is never disclosed without permission.

Digital business isn't about changing code; it's about changing what legacy sales, distribution, customer service, and product groups do in the new digital age. It's about bringing big data analytics, mobile, social, marketing automation, cloud computing, and the app economy together to launch new products and services. We're seeing new titles in this digital revolution, new responsibilities, new business models, and major shifts in technology spending.